General Question

How much protein do I need a day to build muscle?

I have been working out everyday lately. I just want to know how much protein I should be eating a day to build my muscle. I am asking to make sure I did the math properly or didn’t get mislead by something I read off the internet. My weight is 150 lbs. My body fat percentage is 22. My lean body mass is 120. So my daily protein intake should be around 55–60 grams? If I am wrong just say so. I am not asking for opinions, just facts.

6 Answers

I take about 3 shakes a day, each contain 29g of pure whey. (I add in Glutamine and Creatine too for good measure) Cut that body fat and eat clean and you’ll make some noticeable gains if you’ve got a decent programme.

On the internet you’ll find all kinds of bias and routines to follow, find one that suits you and your calorie and protein intake.

Protein aids recovery…Recovery builds muscle. Rest is such an important factor in muscle growth which new ‘gym-goers’ don’t realise…

I’m a female and go for around 45 grams as a more petite woman. Also, drink plenty of water, hard workouts release toxins in your muscles that need to be flushed out as well as your kidneys which work harder to process high proteins.

The idea is to eat around six meals a day which are high in protein such as grilled chicken and eggs. This speeds up your metabolism while providing your muscles with ample supply of protein in order to grow.

In order to help your metabolism your advised to drink around 6–8 liters of water per day. This helps to fill your stomach which again, gets your metabolism racing and helps burn fat.

Eating six meals a day can be tough so a protein shake should do the business.

A general rule, right from the trainer I worked with, is one gram of protein per pound of lean body weight. That’s really a lot of protein though. It is very important to spread it out over the course of the day also, your body can only utilize so much at once. I have also heard and read numerous places that half a shake before your workout, and half right after is significantly more efficient than a whole one before, or a whole one after.